[RahulNagaraj]

BMW has announced details of its next-generation lithium-ion batteries, called Gen6.

Due to arrive in 2025, the new-generation batteries will adopt a cylindrical cell shape, replacing the currently used prismatic cell shape. Compared to the current batteries, the Gen6 cells are said to offer 30% more range and 30% better DC rapid-charging time. They are capable of supporting up to 270 kW ultra-rapid charging.



With the introduction of the Gen6 batteries, future BMW EVs could be aiming at 621 miles (1,000 km) between charges. However, as per Thomas Albrecht, Head of Efficient Dynamics at BMW, the company won't offer beyond 1,000 km of range, even though it can. Albrecht reasoned that "the company doesn't think that such a long-range is necessary".

Coming back to the batteries, the cylindrical cells will measure 46 mm in diameter and be offered in two varying heights, depending on the application. The Gen6 cell will come with altered chemistry giving it a 20% higher energy density while reducing the weight of the battery pack by up to 20% compared to the current Gen5.

BMW plans to open six new battery plants in Canada, Mexico, Europe, China and the USA. These plants will be set up close to the vehicle manufacturing units to reduce transportation costs. BMW also claims that the change in the design and manufacturing process of the new-gen batteries will help production costs fall by up to 50%.

Source: Autocar

Link to Team-BHP news

[GTO]

I've said this several times before. As obsessed as potential EV owners are with "range", one day, it will not even be a talking point. We'll soon see every EV model being offered with different driving ranges, where the higher ones will obviously cost a lot more. The Tata Nexon already did this with the Max variant. Another 5 years and we'll see EV models being offered in different variants = 300 km (cheapest), 500 km (mid) and 700 km (expensive & for highway warriors).

Less than 1% of the population will need an EV with 1000+ km range, so BMW is spot-on here. Why lug around a heavy battery and spend all that extra money? My personal driving capacity per day is 650 km (Mumbai to South Goa), post which I need to call it a day.

Maybe, only commercial operators who drive purely on the highway will use 1000 km EVs.

[MDH75]

If EVs are to become the main mode of transportation, charging stations will be easily available as compared to now. Sure, charging takes time as compared to re-fuelling, but a break every 350-500 km or so won't be bad for anyone. And who knows how fast EVs will charge in the future.

As for those travel long distances, twice or thrice as longer as compared to the range of their vehicle, they can recharge themselves while their vehicle is recharging because one must not drive such long distances without taking atleast a 5-10 minute break.

So my point is that if charging EVs is like re-fuelling ICE vehicles, Thomas Albrecht has a point about EVs not needing more than 1000 kms of range. Even if charging takes time, it's good for both the driver and the vehicle.

[vb-saan]

With some models already having claimed range of 750+ km, a 1000 km range won’t be that far. I think the focus will shift to the longevity of the battery packs, and the no. of possible charging cycles. It won’t be a surprise if in the future manufacturers offer battery pack replacement as a part of the maintenance programs.

[Sen]

I agree with this stance. Also, more work can be focused on increasing battery pack longevity coupled with bettering the charging speed using currently and commonly available infrastructure instead of having to beef up power delivery to meet the same requirements. Potentially new ways of charging the battery/new materials/methods of battery production could help with this.

[V.Narayan]

Very sensible decision I'd say by BMW. No point lugging XX extra kgs of batteries for 10 years when you need that delta only once a year. It will take, in my uneducated estimate, 7 years for the EV car charging infrastructure to reach a point of reasonable adequacy and another 7 years thereafter to reach full adequacy. Lugging around those extra batteries means more solid waste to dispose off safely at end of life plus consuming so much more electricity from the grid for 3650 days.

This decision by BMW which others too will emulate is sensible for the environment as well as economics.

We have forgotten that till the 1950s our fuel pump infrastructure was less than a tenth of what it is today. In the 1930s my grandfather used to drive his 6-cylinder Open saloon from Lucknow to Mirzapur and back on work with a can or two of petrol in the dicky because the car had a range of about 400 kms {it was a guzzler} and petrol pumps were scarce. He told me that the only pump was at Prayagraj {earlier Allahabad} and Mirzapur, his destination had no pump at all. Same way today for the first few years a long trip by EV will need planning and thought. But by c.2030 things would have changed significantly. Now to go build more powerplants.

Personally for me a real world range of 400 kms with 20% power still left will meet 99% of my needs. The rest 1% I'll plan with thought.

[amods]

BMW is spot on when limiting any offering to a max 1000km.

Speaking for myself, if I ever buy(or forced to buy) an EV, only range I would ever want(for stress free highway hauls which is mostly where I use my car) is a 50km extra than what my ICE car offers on a full tank - to compensate for the time taken in charging.

Taking my current car as an example, on highways I get 15kmpl on full load on my polo which translates to a rough range of ~600 kms after which I have to refill - so If I buy an EV with Highway trips in mind, 650Kms range is all I want. This is considering TODAY's charging infrastructure in India.

Considering the timeline I am going to change my car(~5 years from now), I hope Indian markets get a ~600km real world range EV(and more reliable infra) and I'll be happy to convert.

[manojas]

I do a 560+ km long drive once in 2-3 months. We carry food (a habit acquired during Covid times) so we generally don't stop at restaurants. So our breaks are usually 10-15 minutes.
My current car has a range of 600+ kms. So I never do fuel stops in between.
This being my use case, a car with claimed 1000km range (real world range of 600+ kms) will be an ideal fit for me.
Such a car will allow me to do the charging overnight at the end of my journey in a parking lot rather than on the way.

[ajayc123]

Indeed this is a practical upper range that should cover most use cases for typical travel during the day without being bothered about looking for charging stations or stopping for charging during transit. Provided that the destination has decent arrangement for overnight charging to bring it back to good SoC, sufficient for next full day travel.

[SKU]

IMHO a declared 1000kms range in reality will be what 650-750kms.